Gateway vaccine site to start giving Pfizer 1st dose shots on Tuesday

Staff nurse Lina Tannoury prepares a shot of the Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine at Saint George Hospital University Medical Center, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, April 6, 2021. Human Rights Watch, a leading rights group, said that Lebanon's vaccination campaign has been slow and risks leaving behind some of the country's most vulnerable people, including Palestinian and Syrian refugees, as well as migrant workers. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) (Bilal Hussein, Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – When the CDC and FDA recommended a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine just a week after federally supported sites in Jacksonville had switched to only using J&J shots for first doses, public health officials were left scrambling for an alternative.

News4Jax learned Friday that they’ve found one.

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The state is planning to move forward with administering first doses of the Pfizer vaccine at the federally-supported vaccination sites in Jacksonville and elsewhere in the state, starting Tuesday.

The site had been able to give 3,000 first doses a day, but that number will likely be lower for the time being because of supply issues following the J&J pause.

Florida Division of Emergency Management spokeswoman Samantha Bequer said they’ll know more Monday about how many doses can be administered daily and will share that information with the public.

Right now, the sites are anticipated to close Wednesday, May 26.

Emergency management said residents should not be concerned about not being able to get their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine before the site closes.

“The state and FEMA are committed to ensuring that all individuals who receive their first dose at a federally-supported vaccination site are able to receive their second dose,” Bequer said. “The goal of these sites is to increase vaccine access to all Floridians and the state is committed to working with FEMA to ensure these sites can continue to offer the vaccine to underserved populations.”


About the Author:

A Jacksonville native and proud University of North Florida alum, Francine Frazier has been with News4Jax since 2014 after spending nine years at The Florida Times-Union.